


outliers [klance au]

by monsieurdandylion



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender, vld - Fandom
Genre: Allura & Lance (Voltron) are Siblings, Altean Lance (Voltron), Altean Prince Lance (Voltron), Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Everyone Is Gay, F/M, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Panic, Guard Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), I Tried, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Korean Keith (Voltron), LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, Lance (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Soulmates, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Voltron: Legendary Defender Season/Series 08 Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 05:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18887866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsieurdandylion/pseuds/monsieurdandylion
Summary: [after the events of season 8]An AU of AUs/Fix-It FicWhen Keith was assigned to a mission concerning every single existing reality, the last person he expected to be chosen as his partner was Lance. The two ex-Paladins now embark on a journey where they must face their pasts to save the future.Old friends and lost lovers return to their lives as they realize that maybe, just maybe, the person they've been searching for has been in front of them from the start.





	1. prologue

_"Everything you can imagine is real."_   
_(Pablo Picasso)_

The night had an air of the unknown to it. The fluorescent lights of the city streaked past the two passengers as they wove through traffic, their eyes set ahead. Beneath them, the purr of the motorcycle, above them, a midnight sky filled with promise.

An old song was playing on the radio and the cyclist glanced down at it, smiling faintly. He cranked up the volume before putting his hand to his torso, where the passenger behind him had interlaced their fingers for support.

"Remember this one?" he shouted over the wind. The passenger laughed, a sound that the motorcyclist knew he'd never get enough of.

"Of course!" the passenger replied happily, resting his chin on the cyclist's shoulder. "It's our song."

The city was a blur of light and cars but the two on the motorcycle were untouchable. As the music progressed, so did the scenery, and soon the pair was speeding down a seemingly endless road, surrounded on both sides by dessert.

The traffic disappeared altogether and pedestrians were replaced with saguaro cacti, their tall limbs stretching up towards the desert sky. The air was dry and smelled faintly of gasoline, a familiar taste to its breeze.

The wind was soft as it brushed by them, sleek and cool like silk against their arms and ankles. Both riders wore goggles to protect their eyes from the gusts, but their hair was left to the wind and it tousled their locks wildly- brunette and black strands together as they rode.

Leandro lifted his head to the sky and grinned, looking up into the cosmos that cradled him in its star-speckled palms. He slid his hand up to rest against Akira's heart, feeling the steady beat beneath his fingertips, and knew that he would never be happier.

Here, with Akira, together at last after everything they'd been through, not only did it feel safe, warm, welcoming, it felt  _right._  It felt like they were meant to be together amidst all the insane happenings and journeys they'd been through together and that, no matter what, they would stay by each other's sides.

Leandro knew it in his heart- he and Akira were held by fate and tied with destiny, as cheesy and cliche as it may sound. He felt it in his bones.

As the two sped down the long stretch of interstate, the stars shone. Not like diamonds, that was far too cliche. It looked like... the universe had given the night sky a bouquet of baby's breath blooms and the petals had scattered over the inky expanse, covering the darkness with tiny pinpricks of white.

Leandro gazed up at the cloudless sky and sighed. Suddenly, directly above them, there was a flash of light. Leo squinted. A shooting star? No, too big. Leo tracked the shape with his eyes as it came hurtling down from the heavens.

"Akira," Leo called over the wind, tugging on his boyfriend's jacket.

"Hm?" Akira replied, squeezing Leo's hand.

Leandro pointed up at the streak of light blurring through the sky. "Look."

The motorcycle slowed as Akira stared at the shape.

"It's not a meteor, is it?" Leo questioned.

Akira scoffed. "Pretty big fuckin' meteor, if it is." He let out a low whistle. "Hold tight, babe."

Leandro barely had time to latch his arms around Akira's torso before they were speeding off down the interstate. Leo gulped- he loved riding with Akira, but his boyfriend never seemed to have much rational thinking when his mind was set.

Leo instead looked back up at the UFO-looking-thing that was flying closer and closer to the group. He was suddenly thankful that they were surrounded by open desert- at least the thing, whatever it was, wouldn't crash into any buildings of the city.

Meanwhile, Akira was pushing his bike faster and faster, the speedometer climbing steadily. They hit 120 mph and kept going. Akira urged the motorcycle forward, his eyes flicking from the road to the sky to the dial before him in a loop.

Leo squinted as the object flew lower and lower. He knew that it had to be less than a few miles up now- the fighter pilots flew 5 miles up when they did rounds but the object was still lowering. He began to hear the sound of its engines (maybe?) over the motorcycle's.

They were keeping pace with the object and Leandro was trying his best to see what it was, but before he was able to actually recognize the craft, it suddenly shot forward and down. With a crash that shook the ground, the object hit the desert floor in front of the two boys on the motorcycle.

Dirt, sand, and debris clouded the area around the craft as Akira decelerated the cycle to a stuttering stop, hopping off the bike before it had stopped completely. Leo was close behind him as they walked forward through the cloud of sand.

Akira shielded his face, closing his eyes as the wind settled, and reached for Leo until their hands found each other. He heard the sound of the engines of the craft go quiet and, after a few moments, opened his eyes.

Before him stood a giant, mechanical  _lion_. The beast prowled proudly before the two boys, it's eyes trained on them as it moved. Although it was mostly silver and black, there was a yellow patch on its chest and there were giant wing-like structures by its shoulders that were red and a bright light blue.

"Holy shit," Akira heard Leandro breathe.

As if in agreement, the black lion roared.


	2. summons

The morning light filtered through the window of Lance's small room, waking him from a restless sleep. Groaning quietly, he opened his eyes, squinting past the rays that fell through his curtains. He yawned, stretched, stood, and made his way to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

Before, he never would have drunk coffee. Before, he didn't like the taste of it. But he was in the After now and there was nothing he could do about it. The After had changed a lot of things and it was no use lingering on the logistics of it all, so coffee it was.

Sighing, Lance ran a hand through his hair as he waited for his coffee to brew, messing with it to try to get it to lay flat. He had neglected cutting it for so long that he feared that it would turn into a mullet like Keith's, but it hadn't come to that point yet, so he figured he could put it off a little longer.

After a breakfast of coffee and toast, Lance dressed in his normal Altean clothing- farmers' clothing that suited his job- and stepped outside. He lived in a small house on the edge of his field, a modest home that provided the essentials and not much else.

As if on command, his eyes lifted to the marble statue that looked over his fields. Allura's expression held a small, stern smile and her hair was down, just as voluminous as it had been in real life. Lance felt his heart ache but he mustered a smile. "Good morning, Allura."

Lance categorized his life into two sections- Before and After. Before Allura's death and After.

He knew it was unhealthy. He knew it wasn't like him to be this way. But he felt like he couldn't do anything about it.

There was just too much history. After Allura's death, no one had talked him through what he was supposed to do. Yes, he had the other paladins, but they were all wallowing in their own grief and he didn't want to disturb them. So, of course, being the natural idiot he was, he decided to bottle everything up and cover it with his usual facade of The Dumb One.

Except now, he knew that the other paladins could tell that something was wrong. Shiro had even voiced his concerns to Lance, but the farmer had politely ignored Shiro's warnings. Besides, everyone else had already moved on. Shiro and Curtis had gotten married, Keith was off with the Blade, Pidge and Matt were with their family establishing the next generation of Legendary Defenders, and Hunk was busy being the galaxy's best chef.

No one had time for Lance, it seemed, so he was content with his lifestyle of loneliness. It didn't matter anyways, there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

Lance began his work in the fields with Allura's marble eyes on his back, carrying a large woven basket in the crook of his elbow and gathering the flowering Juniberry blooms. He'd barely begun working, though, when he heard the familliar whoosh of the flying platform Coran now rode aorund on. Lance looked up with a smile on his lips, genuinely happy to see Coran.

Since Allura's death, Coran had become somewhat of an uncle-like figure to Lance. They were close because of their bond to Allura when she had been alive, but they were closer now, and literally too, as Lance's house was just outside the Garrison where Coran now worked.

Allura's death had taken it's toll on the great Altean advisor. Coran, who had vowed to Alfor to look after the princess. Coran, who had stuck by her side and who had led her through Voltron's missions. Coran, who hadn't been able to say goodbye to the young woman he viewed as his own daughter.

Physically, Coran was the same. Same flaming orange hair and stocky composure, but Lance knew that behind those knowing eyes, there was a hole in Coran's heart that would never be filled. But, unlike Lance, Coran was somewhat able to move on.

"Good morning, Lance!" Coran said happily as he stepped off the platform.

"Good morning, Coran," Lance replied, straightening and putting down his basket. A few magenta blooms were in bloom by their feet and Coran plucked one up, twirling it delicately between his gloved fingers.

"I'm sorry to come bother you so early, but I have urgent news," Coran informed Lance. "Would you be willing to stop by the Garrison in an hour to talk?"

Lance tilted his head to the side. "Sure, why not." Coran nodded sharply and was off again before Lance could even ask what the whole thing was about. It couldn't possibly be a mission- the Garrison handled almost everything now. It was probably just a monthly meeting to discuss matters post-Voltron.

Lance hesitated. Did that mean that everyone would be there too? The other Paladins? It had been a while since they'd all been together even though Hunk and Pidge tried to call weekly to catch up with Lance. It was comforting, but Lance missed the closeness of the team and he felt like he needed them now more than ever.

A hint of excitement crept into Lance's heart and he felt his hopes lift a bit for the first time in a few days. He wouldn't miss this opportunity. Hurrying back to his house, he placed the basket of blooms on his porch and headed inside to shower and change into more suitable clothing.

As he stood in front of his closet, his eyes lingered on his Paladin suit. Gently, he pulled the outfit out of the closet, running his hand lightly over the hard chest plate and rivulets of color. It was odd that it was so sentimental for him, but the blue suit had been with him from the start and he felt an odd emotional attachment to it. Sighing with a smile, Lance returned the suit to its place in his closet and pulled on a light blue tunic and joggers.

He decided to leave early so he could go say hello to some other tenants of the Garrison, but before he left, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror. Pausing, he pressed his fingertips to the Altean marks on his cheeks, standing out against his light freckles.  _A constant reminder_ , he thought ruefully.

Turning away, Lance walked outside, stopping only to pick up his basket of Juniberry blooms, and began his walk up to the Garrison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! my name is cal and welcome to Outliers, my fourth (full-length) klance fic. just a few things you should know going forward-
> 
> this is the first klance fic I've ever written that's set in the actual Voltron universe, and similarly, it's my first fix-it fic. however, this fic will be a lot more plot-based than most fix-it fics and will definitely be a lot longer and include a lot more. that said, it will  
> be a different experience for both me and those of you who have read my other kl fics.
> 
> also, disclaimer:  
> this fic is going to allude to a lot of other general aus! any similarities to plot of any other klance fic are purely incidental- frankly I don't even read many klance fics just bc I spend my time writing. so if there are any incidental references ("omg dirty laundry flashbacks" is something i get sometimes ahaha i've never read it i'm sorry) just know that they're accidents.
> 
> that being said, the leakira fic is different than general aus and is definitely going to have a large role in this fic, so i want you to know that i'm doing my best to learn more about it so i can portray it properly(:
> 
> if i think of anything else, i'll put it in the next chapter^^ and if you have any questions, slap em right here and i'll answer them (:
> 
> anyways, welcome back if you're coming from another one of my fics, and it's nice to meet you if you're new to my works (; i'm so happy that you all are here and i can't wait to see where this journey takes us <33   
> much love, cal


	3. mission

Keith fidgeted nervously as he waited at the large banquet table, wondering why on Earth he was the only one there even though he was right on time. He'd gotten a message from Coran the previous week that he was needed at the Garrison, but not much other information was included.

Keith had wondered if it was for a mission, but Coran had never called on him for an independent assignment before, so he guessed that it was probably a general check-in with the Blade. Still, those types of meetings were monthly and scheduled, not on a whim.

The Blade had been working hard since the end of Voltron and Keith was incredibly pleased with the progress they'd made. They were helping citizens all over the galaxy and their numbers grew with each passing day. He was so proud of how far they'd come.

It felt nice to finally be working alongside his mom without the constant threat of Haggar and the rest of the Galra. They'd grown closer, making up for the time they'd lost. The two of them had even visited Keith's father's grave and Keith could still vividly remember how Krolia had traced the name on the gravestone.

"Oh, Kit," she'd sighed. "You'd be so proud of our son."

Keith had choked up a bit, but it had been the first time he'd ever visited his father with someone other than Shiro and it felt comforting to finally have his mother with him.

Speaking of Shiro, the two saw each other as often as they could, or as often as Keith's Blade duties would allow him to. Keith hadn't known Curtis very well when his was still a paladin, but Shiro had made sure that when he and Curtis had started dating, Keith approved of the young man.

Of course, it was hard for both Shiro and Keith to move on after the devastating news of what happened to Adam, but with support from each other, they were able to accept his death. And Curtis was incredibly kind and gentle- he was good for Shiro and Keith definitely approved of him.

Keith was pulled out of thought at the sound of the door to the conference room opening. A familiar lanky frame with messy brown hair stepped inside. Keith stood, letting a small smile lift his lips. "Lance," he greeted, walking forward towards his friend.

But, as Lance stepped into the light, Keith felt his stomach lurch. Lance looked awful. There were bowls of bruise-blue beneath his ocean eyes and his face was thin and wan. This young man was no longer the Lance that Keith recognized. He was a shell.

Keith dropped his outstretched hand and instead pulled Lance towards him in a loose hug. Beneath the pale blue tunic, Keith felt Lance's bony shoulders and torso. Lance felt fragile and small and Keith felt like, if he held him too tightly, his skin would bruise like flower petals.

Pulling back, Lance smiled and it was the old smile that Keith remembered. "Hey, Keith, what's up?"

After their heart-to-heart that one night when Allura had been unconscious, the two of them had seemed to silently agree to drop the enemies act. Lance had been Keith's right-hand man and they'd even gone so far as to call each other friends.

Still, it had been a while since they'd seen each other last.  _Too long_ , Keith thought. "Same old," He said airily, brushing off the question. He didn't want to talk about himself- Lance needed help. "How are you?"

Lance smiled again, like it could cover up his sunken eyes. "Hanging in there," he said, shrugging.

"Eating?" Keith half-joked.

Lance laughed weakly. "I miss Mama's enchiladas, but farm life suits me well."

 _Liar,_  Keith thought. He'd always been opposed to the idea of Lance becoming a farmer. As long as he'd known the blue paladin, Lance had been filled with energy, excitement, and dreams of becoming a Garrison pilot. It was so out of character for Lance to retire to farming that Keith almost argued against it. But, back then, he'd trusted that Lance knew what was best for himself. Now, he wasn't sure.

"Speaking of which," Lance muttered, reaching down into a woven basket he held, "I brought a few flowers with me." He handed Keith a Juniberry bloom, it's magenta petals bright and beautiful. Keith smiled sadly- the flowers never failed to remind him of Allura.

"Thank you, Lance."

Lance nodded, looking around distractedly. "Where's everyone else? Are we just early?"

Keith frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I just thought that the whole team would be here."

"I have no idea. Coran was a bit nondescript." Keith shrugged.

As if called by the sound of his name, the Altean suddenly entered the room with a smile, immediately spotting Keith and Lance standing in the center of the room. "Ah, boys! Sit, sit, we have much to discuss."

Keith and Lance locked eyes in confusion, but both took their seats next to each other at the table. Coran sat across from them, steepling his fingers and regarding the two ex-Paladins with a curious gaze. Coran always looked inquisitive, like he was constantly learning something new.

"I have a mission for you two," he stated simply. Pulling out a small, clear screen from his satchel, Coran fussed with the tablet for a few seconds before sliding it across the table to Keith and Lance. Keith felt his throat tighten in excitement.

"They arrived this morning," Coran said warmly. In a picture on the screen, the red and blue lions sat beside each other in what looked to be the back of the Garrison, their gazes fixed to the sky. "We didn't know why, at first, but then we tried locating the other lions. Yellow and Green are in the nearby galaxy, but we can't locate Black. We think something's going on."

"What d'you mean?" Lance asked, anxiety in his throat. His eyes were still glued to Blue on the tablet. He missed the feel of piloting the lion.

"Well, I got the Holts to look into it and, if their calculations are correct, then Black has wandered into another reality."

Keith frowned. "Is that even possible?" He remembered entering that one reality so long ago when Allura had been an oppressive Altean Empress and Shiro had been some sort of Russian resistance fighter with Slav.

Coran shook his head, "It shouldn't be, but I trust the Holts and I don't think there's any other explanation. We don't have communication with the black lion, but its coordinates are known and it seems stable."

Keith sat back in his chair. "I only knew that Black could teleport. I didn't think he could travel through realities."

"Neither did I," Coran admitted, "but maybe there's another Trans-Reality Comet out there that created a rift in the realities."

"Why would Black  _want_  to travel into another reality, though? I mean, I know Voltron was able to get through the rift that one time, but you said it was because of Voltron's quintessence composition," Lance added.

Coran shrugged, looking helpless. "I wish I knew. But I know that we need to find Black and get him back into this reality, at least, in case we ever need to form Voltron again. Maybe he was called by a distress signal, maybe he was captured- we don't know- but that's where you boys come in.

"If you're up for it, I need you two to go and find the black lion."


	4. reunion

Lance felt his heartbeat pick up. A mission? A chance to go back out into space? He couldn't tell if his squirming stomach was excited or terrified.

Keith's eyebrows were furrowed and Lance wanted to smooth out his friend's forehead and tell him that he'd get wrinkles if he frowned so much. Then again, he was a little delirious from lack of sleep and a coffee-based diet, so he kept his hands and opinions to himself.

"How would we even travel to another reality? We don't have a Trans-Reality Comet, do we?" Keith asked.

Coran's eyes widened in excitement. "We don't have a comet, but we  _do_  have something else, thanks to the Olkari's technology. They've been working on something for a while now: a portal that uses pure Quintessence- just like the Trans-Reality Comet- to open a small, controlled rift in our reality. It will allow similarly Quintessence-fueled objects to pass through it and then can be closed into a dormant form and carried with you. It's really quite amazing," Coran practically gushed.

"Oh, wow," Keith mused. "So you want us to go into another reality, find Black, find out why he's there, and then bring him back?" He let out a low whistle. "That's a tall order, Coran. Why Lance and I?"

"You're the two most connected members of the team besides you and Shiro, Keith. And Shiro can't go because he's never piloted the blue or red lions. Those two lions came here themselves for a reason. They chose  _you two_ to go on the mission."

Lance felt his heart go out to Blue. He felt the importance of this. One last mission, he guessed.

"I'll do it," Keith said boldly, leaning forward.

Coran looked to Lance.

"If you're going, I'll go too," Lance said faintly.

Coran clapped his hands together excitedly. "Excellent. I'll begin preparations immediately. You'll leave in a few days."

...

Lance couldn't sleep. He paced around his small house, eyes nervously flicking to his suit, all laid out on the couch, pristine and perfect. The suit seemed even brighter and more inviting that it had been when he'd seen it in his closet a few days before.

Lance wasn't rethinking his decision, exactly. He  _wanted_  to go, of course he did. Be back in Blue, feel the weightlessness of floating in zero gravity, the thrill in his chest as he raed through the inky expanse of the universe-

Lance stopped himself and pressed his hands to the sides of his head, slowing his breathing. " _Take is easy, Lance,"_  he thought, sitting down next to his suit on the sofa. " _One thing at a time."_

There were unpleasant memories, of course. The fighting, attacks, the sound of lasers barely missing him. Those battles would stay with him forever. But other memories waited for him up there in the stars, as well. The space goo snowball fight, the space mall, the countless laughs and smiles he'd shared with the other Paladins. The Castle of Lions.

Lance sighed and put more pressure on his temples, wondering if these thoughts were plaguing Keith as well. Keith. He'd gotten taller since Lance had last seen him, right? How long had it been...?

Lance shook his head and fragmented memories whirled around him like snow in a snowglobe. It was so much, too much, too soon, too fast. Lance felt so small in the eyes of the universe. A blue speck filled with a void like a black hole.

He turned away from the Paladin suit and rubbed his eyes, his fingertips brushing by his Altean markings. His emotions were a muddled mess and, while he knew that he wanted to go on the mission, something besides those memories were holding him back. And her name began with the letter A.

...

So, as it turns out, a hard Paladin chestplate doesn't make the best pillow, as Lance discovered the following morning when he woke up on the couch with a stiff, aching neck. Blinking slowly, he tried to draw back the memories of the previous week.

It took him a moment, but when he remembered Blue sitting outside the Garrison, waiting for him and him alone, he was off the couch in milliseconds, frantically ebullient as he gathered necessities and keep-sakes he wanted to bring.

He skipped breakfast, but he skipped coffee too, a rare occasion that only occurred when Lance was running late or if he felt well-rested and happy enough to go eat breakfast at the Garrison with Pidge or Coran.

Lance knew that it was neither of those though.

He knew, as he stepped out of his home and into the morning light, that the adventure that lay before him had the capability to pull him out of the After, if only for a moment. Lance turned, his eyes falling to Allura, and his smile wasn't forced as he made his way up to the Garrison.

...

Everything was set. All arrangements had been made. Launch time was in minutes. Lance finished saying goodbye to his mother, hugging her loosely and telling her for the hundredth time that he'd be back before she knew it, that yes, he'd be safe and yes, he'd eat the food she packed.

He almost died of embarrassment when his mother then turned to Keith, who was quietly talking with his own mom, and instructed him to take care of Lance. If that wasn't bad enough, Keith then proceeded to shoot a teasing glance at the Blue Paladin and solemnly vow that he'd make sure that Lance would stay out of trouble.

The two mothers (Krolia somewhat awkwardly) hugged and watched their sons step out into the afternoon sunshine, the Red and Blue lions standing proudly before them. Lance felt his heartbeat stutter at the sight of Blue.

Keith glanced at him and nudged his shoulder. "Feels weird to be back in uniform, huh?" he murmured. Lance nodded mildly.

Keith sighed, pulling his bayard from his belt and flipping it around in his hands to reacquaint himself with its weight.

Lance finally looked at him, his fingers fluttering to his own bayard at his hip. He let a crooked smile lift his lips, only for a moment, and then broke right towards his lion, glancing over his shoulder to see Keith approaching Red as well.

" _We had fun, Red_ ," Lance's mind mumbled, " _but Blue is my home."_

And, when Lance finally sat down in the pilot seat and placed his hands on the controls, closing his eyes and exhaling, Blue woke instantly, welcoming him home.

Lance did not look back at Allura's statue as he and Keith flew from Earth, but he felt her marble eyes on his back and he knew that she wasn't going to leave him so easily.


	5. departure

Keith felt Red roar beneath him as they soared away from Earth. It was easier this time- his home was no longer rooted in the physicality of the planet, it was where his mother was, where the Alliance was, where his friends were. Of course, there was always a risk going out like this, but he was used to that risk now. He seized his opportunities and took them.

Keith flexed his knuckles, familiarizing himself with Red's controls once again. He remembered doing this the first time, way back when Shiro had flown the Black Lion and he and Lance had been in Red and Blue respectively. He remembered the resistance he'd felt at first.

Flying Black, it felt like a privilege, a bond of leadership and a promise of duty. But, back in Red, Keith was nothing but bundled nerves, fast reflexes, and pure energy. Red presented no limits.

Keith's radio buzzed and he flicked on the receiver, a small screen showing up on his windshield with Coran's exuberant face displayed upon it. "You did it!" Coran crowed as if he'd doubted the duo.

Keith chuckled warmly. "We're on track for the coordinates for the first jump Coran. It should only take us a few doboshes until we're set."

Coran soluted and exited the transmission.

Keith leaned back in his seat and sighed. He looked over at Blue, who was flying beside and slightly behind him. Keith opened a transmission with Lance, smiling tentatively when Lance's determined face popped up on the screen.

"Hey, man," Lance greeted in a thin, reedy voice. Keith recognized the tone as anxiety.

"Hey. Doing okay?"

"Fine," Lance replied shortly. His blue eyes flicked down to the transmission to meet Keith's and he managed a small smile, but it didn't reach past his lips.

Keith knew that this couldn't be easy for Lance. To be sitting in the same seat that Allura had occupied, his hands over the traces of herself she'd left. Keith could only hope that the sweet smell of her trademark Altean perfume wasn't lingering in the cockpit. "I know this is hard-" he tried gently but was cut off by Lance.

"I said it was fine," the Blue paladin interrupted, but there was nothing malicious in his voice, only tired insistence. Keith left it alone and nodded, trying not to push anything until Lance was ready to talk about it.

This was almost trademark, Keith thought. The resistance against opening up, Keith knew it well, but he'd been able to see that soft part of Lance before. He only hoped that it hadn't been closed down permanently.

Keith closed the transmission and instead focused on the mission. He and Lance were traveling to Black's last known coordinates before he stepped into the other reality, and they'd start there with their search.

Since it was such new technology, they really didn't know what to expect. Of course, the Trans-Reality Access Modulator, or what Coran had otherwise named the TRAM, had been (theoretically) tested and the Olkari guaranteed that it was safe, but there was always a sliver of doubt that was to be expected with such new technology.

Keith was up for the risk, though.

As he and Lance neared the coordinates, Keith began preparing Red for the jump- securing everything and shutting down all but the necessary power systems so that the jump would be easier on the Lion. Keith made sure that Lance did the same with a quick transmission.

Just as he'd predicted, Red halted to a slow stop within a few doboshes, just as Keith had secured everything and double-checked the systems. He slid back into the seat and opened up his transmission with Lance again.

The Blue paladin was out of the frame, but Keith could hear him clambering around in the background, securing everything and mumbling, "So many enchiladas..."

Keith had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"Alright, all set," Lance said as he finally slipped back into the frame. Keith added Coran to the transmission.

"We're ready to go, Coran. I'm going to release the TRAM."

"All set on TRAM," Coran confirmed, his face serious.

Keith released the lever for Red's jaws, where she was carrying the TRAM and watched the small sphere, maybe the size of two fists, float up in front of the two floating lions. Within a few ticks, the sphere began to glow, the light expanding outwards and growing more and more brilliant until it gained a definite shape.

A vortex just big enough for a Lion to fit through swirled before them, the familiar teal-blue of the Quintessence lighting up their surroundings.

"We're going in, Coran," Keith informed the Altean. He felt his heartbeat pick up a bit and could sense adrenaline coursing through his veins. His nerves were alight with anticipation.

"Good luck, boys. Do us proud." Coran's face disappeared, leaving only the transmission with Lance.

Keith inhaled shakily. "I'll go first, okay?" he told Lance. "Follow right behind me."

Lance nodded, his blue eyes wide and distracted. He looked like a little kid who was about to watch a scary movie for the first time. Keith was tempted to ask Lance if he wanted to wait a few weeks, if he was sure that he was ready for the mission, if there was anything Keith could do to help, but he decided against prying.

He trusted Lance. They'd do this together.

"See you on the other side," Keith mumbled and turned off the transmission, leaving only himself and Red. "You ready, girl?" he whispered. Red purred, and Keith took courage from her confidence. There was something more than metal parts and buttons to Red, just like all the other lions. It was almost like they were alive.

Keith didn't hesitate. Gritting his teeth, he carefully guided Red through the blinding pool of Quintessence.

The roar of energy and pure light deafened and blinded Keith momentarily, but as his eyes and ears were able to adjust again, the sight that lay before him made his jaw go slack.


	6. out of place

Lance had to blink several times to confirm what he was seeing. What had just been a silent nook of the universe had turned into a wasteland of broken rock and debris. The Lions were surrounded by a minefield of destruction.

Lance immediately looked down to his transmission screen and met Keith's eyes. The Red Paladin nodded once, recaptured the TRAM, and, ever the leader, proceeded forward. Keith and Lance wove through the debris slowly, careful not to hit any of the rocks floating around.

"What do you think happened?" Lance asked quietly, looking around to try to find any familiarity. He didn't even recognize the distant stars. Keith didn't answer the question, and to be honest, he didn't have a single clue.

"Let's find Earth," he said instead. Lance set the coordinates and Blue leaped over a particularly large boulder to the left, setting a new course with a fast pace. Red followed close behind.

Lance felt his nerves settle down a little now that they were in open space. It felt more like what it had been so long ago- a boy and a lion on a mission, his hands gripping the throttles, his eyes wide and scanning the expanse of velvet darkness that both enticed and rejected him, that was a friend and a deleterious mystery.

He was reminded that his missions were not always with the whole team. He was reminded of the individual memories that he had with each Paladin, and how not everything was spoiled in the After.

Lance shook his head, biting his cheek to keep his thoughts sharp. He was not in the After- he was in space. He was on a mission. An important mission. He wasn't going to mess this up by his reminiscing memories and yearnings for the past. They were behind him, in a different reality even, and weren't allowed to follow him here.

Here, he was supposed to be safe, but how are you supposed to escape your own mind?

After a short while, they were approaching the coordinates steadily but, even though Lance could see the sun, he felt his stomach sink in discomfort. He recognized Mercury and Venus, but in the slot where Earth should have been, there was just an empty gap.

No Earth, no life, no nothing. It just ceased to exist. Had the Galra gotten there before them? Did the Galra even exist in this reality?

Red halted beside Blue and Lance tore his eyes from the unnatural solar system. "What a warm welcome to the realities," Keith muttered sarcastically, but the wrongness of it jarred him. "Let's try somewhere else."

Red and Blue entered the TRAM portal without hesitation.

...

This time, when the two lions exited the portal, Lance felt a flood of relief at seeing the beauty of Earth rotating slowly in its position. Literally having no plan, 'just winging it' was pretty much the only option they had. So Keith and Lance, ex-Paladins of the mighty Voltron "winged it" and flew straight towards Earth.

"Shiro would be calling for a better plan," Lance mumbled more to himself than Keith.

He was surprised when Keith responded, "And Hunk would be saying 'I don't feel good about this guys. Let's go back to the Space Mall and get some food for thought."

Laughing, they continued listing off what each of the Paladins would have thought.

"Pidge would be telling us that the Hypnohyperthermic Signatures she's getting are  _out of this world_ ," Lance said, mimicking Pidge's high voice in the last few words and spouting other bullshit science words he made up on the spot like 'mycelopodecimals' and 'neuropathoquads'.

Keith let out a wheezy laugh at Lance's impersonation and continued, "And Coran would be yelling at us to stay away from the Weblum's eyes."

Lance nearly lost it in giggles. "And Allura-" he started, still laughing, then stopped, realizing, then promptly wanted to slam his head on the dashboard, groaning, "Sorry, I just ruined it."

Keith wanted to reach through the transmission and pat his shoulder. "It's okay, man," he comforted quietly.

They made the rest of the journey towards Earth in relative silence.

Lance wished that he could take it back. He liked laughing. He liked the sound of his own voice, he knew because he tended to talk to himself, but more than that, he liked making other people laugh.

He liked the way Keith's breathy chuckles sounded over the transmission and the way the corners of his eyes got all crinkly. It was rare for Keith to laugh like that, but Lance had the expression mapped out in his head so that he could remember it clearly, so it wouldn't leave him.

The two lions flew silently through the solar system and Lance was so at ease that his first reaction when Blue suddenly stopped was mild confusion. He looked around, frowning, but didn't see anything.

"Keith?" he asked uncertainly. The Red Paladin's face had gone pale (even paler than usual) and he didn't reply.

He was looking up.

Suddenly, Blue's head jerked up to look above them and, to Lance's sickening surprise, he recognized a huge Galra battleship directly above them. Within a millisecond, a tractor beam shot down and Lance felt Blue go silent and nonrespondent.

"This brings back memories," he said meekly.

"Get ready to fight, Lance," Keith replied, holding his bayard in one hand and his Marmora blade in the other.

"Yessir," Lance muttered sassily as he grabbed his own bayard. He thought with a smile that his mother had packed enough enchiladas that he could probably use them as ammo, but decided against joking with Keith again because the Red Paladin seemed to be serious now.

As soon as the Lions entered the cargo hold of the Galra ship, Keith and Lance sprung into action, standing back to back in the middle of the hold, bayards drawn, eyes set.

The Galra soldiers in this reality looked similar to those that Lance knew, but he realized that there weren't any sentries, only actual living soldiers. And some of them were women.

None of the soldiers spoke, but their weapons were drawn and their faces were impassive. The doors to the hold opened and a tall, strongly-built Galran woman stepped through. The wave of soldiers parted as the woman walked towards Keith and Lance, her expression unreadable.

"Notify the Emperor. We will enter a portal to the Empire immediately."

"What shall we do with them until then, Commander?" a soldier asked who was standing close to the woman.

She shrugged, yellow eyes fixed on the Paladins. "Until the Emperor decides if they are a threat, keep them contained."

Lance flicked his wrist and his longsword burst from his bayard. He glared at the soldiers close to him, and for a brief second, he thought he saw something like fear pass over some of their faces. It vanished beneath their facades in an instant, though, and he paid it no mind.

Keith looked over his shoulder and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.  _Since when did Lance have a sword_?

The commander observed Lance's longsword with vague interest, then turned and left the hold without a word.


	7. old enemies

Daibazaal was actually a very pretty planet when it wasn't destroyed. As Keith and Lance peered out of the portholes in the cargo hold, it wasn't hard to recognize. It had the same smooth domed top and jagged bottom, and it was still the color of rust and copper, but now it looked significantly healthier. 

But, as the ship neared the base of the Galra, Keith felt a nervous kick in his chest. Something was definitely different in this reality, and whether it was good or not, he was yet to find out. 

Having not clarified who the Emperor of the Galra actually was, Keith and Lance were in the dark about where they were going and who they were meeting and if they needed to prepare themselves for a fight. But two Paladins against the whole Galra base...? The odds were certainly stacked against them. 

Still, Keith thought of all the situations that Voltron had somehow managed to dig themselves out of and showed as much courage as he could, if not for himself, then for Lance, who had an odd, sickly expression and was clutching his bayard with white knuckles. 

Keith braced himself as the battleship landed on the dust-covered planet, then helped Lance up as the soldiers around them moved forward, carefully herding the two Paladins out of the cargo hold, their feet sinking into the soft, powdery dirt of Daibazaal. 

As the soldiers marched forward, Keith observed the terrain. They had landed on the very top of the planet, the peak of the dome, and the flat, dry desert stretched as far as Keith could see. The land was otherwise dotted with small fields and he could see a few small mountains on the horizon, but it was mostly barren. 

One of the soldiers, a boy probably no older than Keith himself, nudged the Red Paladin discreetly. "You can take off your helmet. We can breathe here." Keith blinked. The soldier's eyes were pure yellow like regular Galra, but Keith saw a deeper emotion in the boy's eyes that he wasn't used to. Keith barely consulted his monitors before pulling off his helmet and breathing in deeply. 

The soldier nodded before melting back into the group of marching soldiers. The air wasn't hot and it actually had a nice, warm breeze that Keith enjoyed. Lance tentatively pulled off his own helmet and fussed with his flattened hair. 

Directly in front of them stood a towering, sprawling castle that the soldiers seemed to be leading them to. Battleship after battleship, cruiser after cruiser... ships lined the side of the castle by the thousands, identical to those which Keith was used to. 

He had to admit- he liked the feeling of the tiny, agile fighter jets that the Galra soldiers flew, and a squadron of them was doing air drills high above the desert floor to the left of the castle. 

The castle itself was so blatantly  _Galra_  that it almost made Keith laugh. It looked to be made out of obsidian, cut to reflect what little light fell through the grey cloud cover. Its sleek, slender spindles spiraled towards the sky and rivulets of purple energy streaked down the towers and across the walls in a haphazard manner. 

And yet, even when faced with this towering giant, imposing and impressive and threatening, Keith felt a sense of peacefulness fall over him like a blanket. He found his eyes tracing the graceful architecture and wondering with a thoughtless mind what the inside looked like. He wondered if it was the Galra blood that ran in his veins that was making him feel like this because Lance's face had drooped from slight illness to obvious discomfort. 

"What's wrong?" Keith asked him quietly.

"Bad memories," Lance said shortly.

"Of Daibazaal?"

"Of Zarkon."

Keith nodded. Lance was right- no matter how gorgeous the castle, this reality could very well hold the same Zarkon that Keith and Lance had so desperately fought to destroy, and even the person who managed to defeat the Emperor in the end- Lotor. Keith refused to acknowledge that Haggar could be here. He knew that Lance was trying his best to do the same. 

All too soon, the Commander of the fleet had led the soldiers and the Paladins to the castle walls. She reached out and pressed her hand firmly to the door, waited a few seconds, and then stepped forward as the doors opened. Keith and Lance had no choice but to follow her into the darkness. 

As the daylight abandoned them at the foot of the castle, Keith's Galra senses kicked in, and his eyes adjusted accordingly, allowing him to make out most of the inside of the cavernous hallway they were now descending into. He was reminded that Lance, however, couldn't see when the Blue Paladin reached out and tapped Keith's arm. 

Looking over, Keith watched Lance blinking rapidly, his eyes wide and nervous. Keith almost smiled as he took Lance's wrist gently, leading him forward with the rest of the group. 

The walls surrounding them were barren and dark, but smooth like glass. The floor was similar and the footfalls of the soldiers echoed through the long passageway. Before them, the hallway ended in a T-intersection, splitting to the right and the left, with a door in the center. As they reached the door, the soldiers split down the left and right hallways, leaving the Paladins with the stern Commander. 

She looked down at Keith with an odd look. "Half-breed," she murmured, more of an observation than anything. He looked at her evenly, anchored only by his grip around Lance's thin wrist. "The Emperor will see you now."

She pushed the doors open with a flourish. 

The sudden light momentarily blinded Keith's sensitive eyes, but as soon as they adjusted, he felt his jaw go slack. The giant room looked like the inside of an amethyst geode- its walls covered in a sheet of tiny, sparkling gems, the skylight in the ceiling letting light fall over the gems, sending shimmers of dark purple light over everything. The room was large and extremely tall and in the center of the room, there was a raised pedestal in which three thrones stood. 

Three figures sat patiently in the thrones. Keith recognized each of them. 

Zarkon looked completely different from how he had looked in his final battle. He wore what looked to be ceremonial armor- light and decorative, and his eyes were a stunningly normal yellow instead of the glowing purple that had come from his Quintessence addiction. He even had pupils now. Beside him sat a Galra woman with long, dark purple hair, her eyes sharp but neutral. 

Seated to his father's right, was the different, yet still recognizable, Prince Lotor. His lilac complexion was the same, but his hair was now the same shade as the Galran woman's beside him and it was cut short, cropped into a crew-cut that looked surprisingly good on him. 

And then, to Keith's immense surprise, Emperor Zarkon, feared Galra dictator, shameless killer or planets, destroyer of hope, pleasantly  _smiled_  at the Paladins. 


	8. the lilac prince

"Greetings, guests. What business are you here for?" Zarkon's voice was lighter and friendlier than Lance was used to and it caught him off guard a bit. He was already feeling a little queasy at the fact that he and Keith were standing in front of two of three people he despised the most, acting all pleasant.

"Well, we  _were_  abducted," he muttered.

"My apologies if my soldiers were too forceful- it was for the safety of our people, you see." Zarkon looked at Lance pointedly as he spoke.

Keith spoke up. " _Your_ people?" he asked. "We were heading towards Earth."

Zarkon blinked. "Yes...?" He looked as confused as Lance felt. "Earth is part of the Galran Peace Alliance," Zarkon explained slowly like it was common knowledge.

"Galran  _Peace_  Alliance?" Lance sputtered, bewildered.

The Emperor chuckled nervously. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

"We're from another reality," Keith informed Zarkon matter-of-factly. Lance squinted; the light that reflected off the gemstones on the walls was a bit bright. The room was bare besides the three thrones- jeez, get some decoration. Maybe a rug.

Beside Zarkon, Lotor's eyebrows shot up at Keith's information. "Another reality?" he questioned. His voice was still that deep, smooth baritone. Lance looked at Lotor, trying not to look like he wanted to strangle him. Or, at least, other-reality him.

Zarkon looked so perplexed that it made Lance want to laugh. "Oh," the Emperor said a bit dumbly. "Let's go to the Observatory. Commander, clear my schedule."

...

Emperor Zarkon's observatory was magnificent. It was a large hemisphere- the floors made of dark wood but the dome above made of clear glass. Scattered around the room were a few astronomical devices, including a giant planisphere, a model of the surrounding universe, and a sleek telescope positioned towards the sky.

Lance stared up at the ceiling. The glass was so spotless that he felt like it wasn't even there at all. Light grey clouds floated gently overhead and the suns were beginning to set (there were two).

Because of Daibazaal's shape, it had a bit of a wonky orbit, or so Lance heard from Zarkon's brief lecture on his love for the stars and the universe itself. The Emperor's eyes were wide like a little kid in a candy shop and Lance felt his resentment for the man begin to fade a bit.

As it turned out, in this reality, Altea didn't exist. No Altea meant no Alfor, no Voltron, and, subsequently, no Quintessence poisoning for Zarkon. This then led to an amicable Galra empire that spread blanket-like peace over the universe. This also meant that Zarkon never met Honerva. His wife instead was a stunning Galra woman named Nyx and Lotor was pure Galran, which explained his indigo hair color.

After Keith's explanation of their reality, Zarkon was frankly disturbed by his legacy and even mentioned that he'd love to come and visit his people. Lance had to carefully explain that he and Keith were on a mission, though, and probably wouldn't be going home for a while, or until they found the Black Lion.

"So," Lotor summarized, "a man on this Altea planet met Dad, they became best friends, created your magic space lions that form an even bigger magic space robot, Dad got addicted to the space magic, went crazy, as did my Altean mom, I go commando and start a resistance, kill Dad, fall in love with your Altean princess, go crazy, try to kill all of you, end up killing myself, and then my mom shows up and ends up being even crazier than Dad and I combined, and, most importantly, I have  _long, lustrous white hair_? What the Quiznak is wrong with your reality?"

Nyx hit Lotor's arm lightly, chiding, "Language, son."

Hearing it like that, Lance agreed that it sounded crazy compared to this reality. Zarkon sighed, raising his eyes to the glass ceiling. The first sun had completely vanished from the sky and the second was following, slowly dipping below the horizon. At this angle, small houses were visible, dotting the desert in clusters of communities.

As Lance and the strange Lotor continued their conversation, Keith approached the Emperor at his post beside the glass. He allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he looked out over Daibazaal. "I'm happy to finally be able to see my home planet," he said quietly, not wanting Lance to hear.

It wasn't a secret, but it was something Lance wouldn't understand.

Zarkon looked at him with an odd expression. "I suspected that you were half-Galra. Are you half-Earthling too? Is that why you and your friend were going there?"

Keith nodded. Daibazaal's rust-colored dirt shimmered copper in the lingering rays of sunlight. "Daibazaal is destroyed in our reality," Keith said bluntly. Zarkon winced.

"Was it... my fault?"

Keith regarded the Emperor silently. He didn't know. It was the comet that had destroyed the planet but... He looked away.

"Learn from the mistakes of your neighboring realities, sir. Don't repeat them."

Zarkon's eyes were solemn with the promise. "I will not."

Suddenly, Lotor stood up so fast his chair fell over. "A Trans-Reality Access Module? We have those!"

...

Lotor led Keith and Lance down a short hallway to a door labeled 'Lotor's Lab' in scratchy handwriting. Keith held the TRAM in his hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the edges of the small, powerful box.

"Sorry, it's a bit of a mess," Lotor said sheepishly.

The inside of the lab was bright and clean, as brilliant white, in fact, as regular Lotor's hair. There were several work tables, odd chemistry equipment set out seemingly haphazardly, microscopes and charts and computers... Lance looked around in vague wonder. Everything in the lab looked so high-tech; he didn't want to touch anything lest he break it.

Cringing, Lance remembered the day when he saw Allura and Lotor kiss, then proceeded to be an awkward ass and clatter around the tools like an idiot in front of her. He remembered how jealous he'd felt. Looking at Lotor, a different, new Lotor, fumble around in a closet looking for something, even just talking with this strange Lotor, brought unknown emotions boiling up through his veins.

He didn't know how he felt. His heart and head were so scrambled, he just wanted to run away. It was all so much. He wasn't ready. Lance looked down at his hands and swallowed hard as he watched them trembling.

All at once, deep, dark eyes were in front of him. Keith's voice was smooth and calm. "Look at me, Lance. You alright?" Lance heard his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. Felt his breath coming in short in fast. He couldn't move.

As if it was second nature, Keith's cool, soft palm slid over Lance's balled fists. His other hand slipped to the nape of Lance's neck. Slight pressure. An invitation. Lance let his head fall down and rest against Keith's shoulder, the hard plastic of the chest plate cool on his forehead. He closed his eyes and focused on the anchoring feel of Keith's hands on his skin.

He was whole. He was safe. He was okay.

Minutes passed.

Lotor had stopped moving. Lance could tell because he could hear again and Lotor's mumbles as he had searched for whatever he had been looking for had stopped. The room was silent. Lance focused on his breathing. He raised his head.

Keith's unreadable eyes scanned his face, then flicked away, looking to Lotor. He stepped back. Lance's hands fell from Keith's cradling palm.

Lotor looked nervously between Lance and Keith, then, judging the situation as once again stable, held up a small sphere with a few knobs on it. He fidgetted with the knobs for a few seconds, watching the tiny holographic screen that popped up out of the sphere, then promptly dropped it on the ground.

Keith and Lance jumped back as a swirling portal sprang outwards, about as big in diameter as a kiddie pool. Lotor put his hands on his hips, chuckling lightly. "We call them Trans-Ports here. Transportation Portals- a little repetitive but whatever. We can't warp through realities yet, but we can set a place on Daibazaal or a neighboring planet in the universe and just step into it."

Keith peered at the Trans-Port with interest. This portal was purple in color (of course), as opposed to the TRAM's portal, which was black, grey, and rimmed with electric blue. Lotor waited a few moments, then the Trans-Port closed with an odd popping noise, resuming its state as the small sphere.

Lotor picked it up and motioned for Keith and Lance to follow him over to one of the lab tables. He leaned over it, resting his elbows on the surface, and twisted a few knobs on the Trans-port again, this time passing it to Keith when the little screen popped up. Keith squinted. The holographic image displayed the outside of the black castle, looking in.

Lotor stuck his pinky finger in the middle of the hologram, disturbing the image. "We use it to visualize our location. I was hoping to put a screen like this on your TRAM. That way, you'll be able to get a glimpse of the reality you're heading toward and, hopefully, avoid any treacherous situations."

Lotor flicked his purple hair out of his eyes. His smile was broad and his pearl-white teeth flashed between his lips. Keith felt a little nervous about it. He didn't know if this was a trap and if the TRAM was damaged in any way, he and Lance had no way of getting home. Lotor seemed to sense his hesitation.

He held out his hand. "You have my word as the Galran prince that I will not deceive you."

Keith shook his hand and gave Lotor the TRAM. "I'll stay here to watch if that's okay," he said, nervous even after Lotor's firm promise.

Lotor's eyes lit up at Keith's words though. Smiling sheepishly, he said quietly, "I'd love to have some company." His smile didn't leave his face until he'd finished the job.


	9. discoveries

"Are you sure I shouldn't accompany you?" Lotor asked again. He was looking nervously at the new and improved TRAM in Keith's hands. The Red Paladin shook his head. 

"You have to stay here... and take care of your own reality."

Lotor offered Keith a crooked smile. "Worth a shot," he murmured as he turned to face Red and Blue, who were now out of the cargo hold and sitting majestically on Daibazaal soil. Lotor whistled. "It's a shame we don't have those beauties here. I would love to pilot one."

Lance grinned. "Maybe we'll find a reality where you do." Lotor laughed and Lance made sure to keep the image in his head. He knew that he'd always have a grudge against the lilac prince. It was something ingrained in his heart now. But seeing the prince like this, uncorrupted, happy, carefree... It allowed a small portion of his resentment float away. It felt nice. 

Keith turned from Lotor and Lance, who were chatting comfortably,  to Zarkon and held out his hand. The Emperor shook it firmly, his eyes unreadable but holding emotions that Keith could only guess were gratitude and assurance. 

"Please don't forget what I told you, sir," Keith said quietly, his other hand finding the Blade at his hip.

"I won't," Zarkon promised. Keith said his goodbyes to the Emperor and his family, then had to urge Lance to do the same, as the Blue Paladin had become a little emotional about the whole thing. 

As Keith and Lance walked across the desert sand, side-by-side, Keith looked at his friend with pride in his heart. Already, he could see the Old Lance peeking out from under the facade this new one wore, and he was glowing with a contentedness that Keith basked in. Finally, the blue boy was returning to him. 

After boarding the Lions, Lotor's face lit up, his eyes tracking their movements as the beasts burst to life. Keith retained the pristine grandeur of his "other" home planet, happy and peaceful, in his heart. He knew that many Daibazaal's were destroyed just like his own reality's, but this one was whole and it was beautiful. He only wished that his mom could be with him too. 

Once Keith and Lance were far enough away from Daibazaal, Keith took the TRAM out of his pocket, slumping back in his seat to scrutinize its new update. The TRAM now had a few knobs, buttons, switches, and a small holographic screen that was currently displaying static. 

The two knobs were for number and variation of the reality. The screen would typically show fuzzy nothingness, but Lotor had shown Keith how to 'tune' into a reality with the 'number' knob and then find variations of it, or realities near it, with the 'variation' knob. Lotor had referred to the knobs with more sophisticated names, but they were in Galran and Keith hadn't quite mastered the language yet...

Lotor had explained that if you set the screen on an object, you could find different versions of that object by observing its variations in realities. 

The buttons were simple: 'on/off' (self-explanatory), 'set' (to chose a given reality as a destination), and 'reset' (to display the current reality). And then there were two switches to set coordinates. 

Keith fidgetted with the knobs and switches for a few minutes, trying to find somewhere that might entice the Black Lion. He slowly worked to set the coordinates just to his right, where Lance flew in Blue, zeroing the holographic screen onto Lance's face. The image was grainy, but it matched what showed on his transmission screen. 

Then, carefully, Keith began switching through the 'variation' knob. At first, there was only static. But then, after a few ticks, the screen displayed a  _different Lance_. This one was walking down a hallway, face stoic. Keith raised his eyebrows. This Lance wore a Garrison General uniform. 

A few more ticks and clicks of the 'variation' knob and he landed on anther Lance, or at least what seemed to be Lance- this one was just a little mocha-colored baby swaddled in a blue blanket, sleeping soundly. 

Keith felt a little weird, scrolling through Lances like they were Tinder dates or an Instagram explore page. But as he flicked through the different realities, he realized with a jolt that almost none of these Lances had regular Lance's Altean markings. Did that mean that there weren't many realities where Allura had died? Or... that Lance and Allura weren't together in these realities? Keith felt a nervous shudder shoot down his spine. 

Static took over an image of Lance at the head of his family's table, giving a toast, and switched to one of a stranger. Keith squinted at the gravely image. The face was the same as regular Lance's, but his hair was... white? And this Lance had Altean markings. Keith nudged at the coordinate switches, zooming out of the image. The screen seemed to shiver, then cleared to display a large, blue orb.

Keith felt his breath catch in his throat. "Holy Quiznak..." he choked. "Lance...?" 

His eyes were glued to the TRAM's small screen. 

"What?" came Lance's muffled reply. 

"I know that we just found Daibazaal but... I think I found something even better."

"A planet made of garlic knots?" Lance guessed.

The image was unclear and Keith couldn't know for certain, but...

"Ooh, or even better, a garlic knot the size of a planet?"

But, Keith was certain that what he was seeing was the one and only...

"God, I wish I had brought garlic knots. Yum."

_Planet Altea._


	10. counterparts

"Altea..." Keith breathed.

Lance's babbling stopped abruptly. "What?" he asked quietly.

Keith stared at the serene blue planet. There were several artificial rings orbiting it and he knew that he'd seen it before somewhere.

"Are you sure?" Lance questioned.

Keith met Lance's eyes which were as blue as Altea itself, and below them, the boomerang-like Altea markings which were glowing softly, as if the quintessence in Lance's body sensed its origin through the TRAM.

"It's worth a shot," Keith said slowly. "I mean, Black  _is_  Altean- why wouldn't he go to an existing Altea?"

Lances bottom lip quivered. His eyes were large and held a whirlpool of emotions, none of which Keith could recognize. Lance looked away from Keith's searching gaze but nodded. "Let's do it," he murmured.

Keith tossed the TRAM into the cargo hold, released it, and watched the portal jump out at the lions. The two beasts barely needed prompting before leaping through the rift.

Time seemed to stand still as Lance let his eyes adjust to his surroundings. Directly in front of him was the most beautiful planet he'd ever seen. He felt something inside of himself unfurl, blooming and growing, reaching like wisteria towards Altea.

He knew, of course, that it was in fact, Altea. There was no doubt in his heart. Every cell in his body was urging him to go closer, to feel the ground under his feet, to breathe it's air in his lungs, to bathe in the glory of this new home.

Then, there was Keith's voice in his ears through his helmet's headset. "We have to be careful," Keith said quietly, his voice low and warning. It made the tips of Lance's fingers tingle. Careful of what? This was Altea. There was nowhere more perfect and safe.

Lance rolled his shoulders back. He cast a sidelong glance at the screen where Keith's stern face stared back at him. In almost a foreign gesture to both of them, Lance smiled. A stunning, bright smile with his Altea markings glowing brightly, his cheeks rosy.

"Lance, I'm serious." Keith's breathy warning was soft and, to the Blue Paladin, it felt like he was there in the cockpit with Lance, whispering directly into his ear, his lips grazing Lance's earlobe. Lance bit the inside of his cheek. He felt delirious, thinking about those kinds of things, especially this close to Altea, where another Allura could be alive and well and waiting for him.

"I know," he dismissed Keith's words with a flick of his hand, shivering as Keith's breathing came softly over the headset. "We'll be careful," he reassured the anxious Red Paladin. With a deep breath, Lance moved forward towards Altea. 

Surprisingly, as the Lions moved closer and closer to the giant planet, no ships came to meet them. No Altean Embassy, no particle barrier against any intruders, no crazy weird alternate-reality Voltron Leopards or Tigers or anything coming to question the two Paladins. Lance would have, had it been any other planet, thought this suspicious, but he was too caught up in the beauty of the planet. 

It was no wonder why Allura's eyes always lit up when he'd asked her about her home. The blue and indigo tones in her irises would shimmer with happiness and her hand would tighten around Lance's if she was holding it. She'd look up at the sky and smile, memories no doubt flooding her mind. Sometimes, she'd cry and Lance would hold her close, his chest a pillow for her head, his arms a safe haven, his lips whisper-singing Cuban lullabies to soothe her shaking shoulders. 

He had loved her whole-heartedly with no looking back. He had thrown his life on the line for her and would do so willingly again and again. Lance closed his eyes, pain creeping in on his heart.  _Why'd you have you leave?_

Suddenly, static over Lance's headset brought him out of his thoughts. There were a few moments of white noise, then an automated voice.

**"Greetings, visitors! Welcome to Altea. If you're here to visit, please park your vehicles at the bay on the Northern side of the Castle. If you're here for trade or exports and imports, the cargo dock is beside the bay. For more information, please consult the nearest Altean. Thank you and have a pleasant day!"**

Lance blinked. "That was surprisingly normal," he muttered. Keith didn't respond, but his expression was of mild surprise as well. The Lions passed beneath one of the artificial rings of the planet and through the cloud cover.

Soon enough, they were soaring over Altea. 

The metropolis they flew over was a city purely of technological and architectural feats. Buildings seemed to grow out of the ground, made of smooth metals and glass, ivy crawling up the sides of the older buildings. Massive screens displayed clips of Altea culture, including a rerun of Garfle Warfle Snick and an add for Monsters and Mana. 

Alteans walked and rode strange motorbikes on the roads below, conversing and laughing, sometimes casting vaguely interested glances up at the Lions as they flew past. No Altean seemed to be concerned with the Lions, but Lance wasn't sure if that was because they had Lions of their own or if visitors like Keith and himself were common and didn't warrant attention as they had at Daibazaal.

Lance stared at the countless shops and stores they passed as Red and Blue weaved through the buildings and streets. He recognized the Altean language on signs, whispering the letters he recognized. He could hear Coran's voice in his head, crowing the Altean alphabet. " _Exus, plexis, ceedus, flee, jaydus, nacto, pledum, ree..._ "

Lance went to turn Blue to the right, but the controls didn't move. Blue growled inwardly, a warm sound that reassured Lance. "Oh," he said aloud, dumbly. 

"What?" Keith asked.

"Try to turn Red," Lance suggested. 

Keith turned to try, but his eyes flashed back to Lance's with a panicked expression when he realized it was futile. Lance let a small smile lift his lips. 

"They know where they're going. They know they're home."

And just as Lance finished his sentence, the two Lions lifted out of the street and made a sharp turn, changing the scenery from an Altean urban sprawl to a beautiful hilltop crowned by a pristine castle. Lance didn't have to hesitate before he recognized the structure.

"The Castle of Lions," he laughed breathlessly. 

...

Lance stepped out of Blue and onto the bay's floor, looking around in wonder at the ships that surrounded him. They all had the distinct Altean look- a sleek, slender frame with flawless maneuverability. Keith let out a low whistle.

"I'm sure the Garrison folks would love to see this stuff," he mused, gently touching his fingertips to the outside of what looked like a fighter-jet. 

"The Garrison?" came a startling familiar voice. Keith whirled around, his hand to his bayard, his Marmoran sword already drawn. 

Before him stood Lance. But it wasn't  _his_  Lance. This young man had Lance's tan skin, beautifully brilliant blue eyes, and teal Altean markings, but that was where the similarities stopped. Not only did this Lance have tidy white hair with a bejeweled mantle settled around his head, but the whole way he held himself was different. 

This Lance was not only Altean; he was  _royalty_. 

The Altean Lance looked down (yes, down- he was several inches taller than Keith) at Keith with a curious expression. He wore a silk tunic cinched at the waist with a belt and shorts that left a few inches of his thighs bare before the rest of his legs were covered with black stockings. 

He was adorned with jewelry, from rings on his fingers to gold bangles to necklaces and dangling earrings. He dripped wealth but the intelligence and deep emotions in his eyes proved that he was not just an heir to an opulent fortune. 

"Fiesty," the new Lance murmured softly. "Hmm..." His eyes wandered just beyond Keith's shoulder to where Keith's Lance stood. Keith looked down at the floor, embarrassed. He hadn't realized that he'd jumped in front of Lance when he'd heard this new Altean. It was an impulse to protect Lance now. 

Altean Lance's eyes lit up at the sight of the other Lance. "Interesting," he purred softly. "Please follow me." The Altean snapped his fingers and a figure melted out of the shadows of the craft beside them. Keith felt his breath catch in his throat. It was like looking at his nightmares head-on: the figure was Keith, but this Keith was fully Galran, complete with large, cat-like ears, soft lilac skin, and yellow eyes. 

The Galran Keith was staring at Keith with an expression that seemed to ask 'How alike are we?'. Keith didn't know the answer. He'd felt his Galran attributes push up through himself before, like when he had fought Shiro. He'd felt the prickle of fur at his ears, slight tints of purple to his skin after nightmares, the whites of his eyes turning a pale yellow. Never before had he imagined himself as this much Galran. 

Keith looked over at his familiar Lance, who looked the same way he felt, and together, they followed themselves into the Castle of Lions. 


	11. a different you

"Where do you think we're going?" Lance whispered to Keith nervously. The Other Lance had led the two Paladins through a strange, yet familiar, Castle of Lions to a long hallway that ended in a stained-glass door.

It had occurred to Lance that the Galra Keith who followed the Other Lance was a guard of some sort, but their dynamic was odd. Other Lance would crack a joke quietly, his blue eyes shining as he gazed down at his guard, and the Galran would chuckle, his white teeth flashing beneath his lips. It was more of a friend-like relationship than one of a guard and royal.

The brilliant sun, which was beginning its descent towards the horizon, hurt Lance's eyes when he stepped out the door and onto the patio, but as his eyes adjusted, the scene before him was just as radiant. Flowers were  _everywhere_ \- adorning the furniture and archways on the balcony. There were juniberries, of course, but new flowers that Lance had never seen before too, each more beautiful than the last.

The Other Lance and the Other Keith walked forward, carefully avoiding the vines that lay on the tiled ground. Lance followed them hesitantly- he didn't know what to expect. The sky above him was brilliant blue- a kind of blue that you couldn't see on Earth. There were no clouds and the temperature was perfect- like a sunny spring evening.

Altean air in his lungs, Altean breath through his lips, Altean petals on his skin- he was living, breathing Altea in its beauty.

"This way," the Other Lance called over his shoulder. Lance looked back at Keith, who offered him a half smile. If Lance had looked for a second longer, he would have seen Keith's smile slip off his lips and his face turn to one of ashen sadness.

The group passed beneath an arch dripping with tiny purple blooms and up ahead, Lance heard a voice say, "Ah, Lance! We were wondering if you'd gotten lost!" and then hearty laughter.

The Other Lance grimaced. "Must you hold that incident over my head? It wasn't my fault." He paused and held his hand out towards Keith and Lance with a flourish. "I have guests."

Lance rounded the arch and stopped abruptly. The royal family sat at a large wicker table, a spread of foreign and delicate foods on platters before them, assumably an Altean dinner. At the head of the table sat Alfor in the flesh. His white hair was pulled back away from his face, the spitting image of how Lance remembered him from Allura's hologram.

Beside the king sat a woman who Lance almost recognized- she was so similar to Allura that it made his heart skip a beat, but she was aged, her hair thinner, her eyes twilight blue, not light enough for Allura's.

Lance's eyes slowly slid to the seat at Alfor's right. Slowly, they tracked from her hand, which was loosely fitted around a crystalline cup, to her shoulders, to her face.  _Allura._

He felt his knees buckle and the perfect Altean air leave his lungs as he stepped backward clumsily, trying to regain his balance. He felt two strong hands clasp around his shoulders, steadying him, and the quiet exhale of Keith's breath on the side of his neck. "It's okay, Lance. It's okay," Keith whispered almost incoherently.

Lance felt like an idiot- way to make a first impression- but he couldn't trust his legs to hold him up. Now, after all this time, her face being the only thing in his mind night and day, she was right in front of him. She wasn't his Allura, but she was Allura nonetheless, and she looked exactly the same as when he'd last seen her.

Beautiful.

Serene.

Kind.

Lance forced his lungs to work, inhaling shakily as he focused on Keith's fingers around his biceps, the warmth of the Red Paladin at his back, the comfortable familiarity of Keith's breathing in his ear, just as he'd heard it over the radio in the Lions countless times before.

Allura stood abruptly, her chair teetering dangerously on two legs before regaining balance. Her hand flew to her mouth, her lips a perfect 'o' of surprise. The Other Lance was watching Lance's reaction closely, probably wondering what it meant.

Alfor stood too, but more gracefully. Lance couldn't tear his eyes from Allura, so Alfor looked to Keith instead. "Welcome, my honored guests. What are your names and what brings you here?"

Keith squeezed Lance's arms tightly, leading him over to a spare chair and setting him down gently in it, letting his fingers remain on Lance's shoulders just in case. "Thank you, your majesty. My name is Keith Kogane and this is Lance Mcclain. We came here from another reality. We're searching for something that traveled trans-dimensionally and we're just here to ask you if you've seen it."

Alfor nodded, serious. He seemed to accept the situation fairly well. "I hope my son treated you diplomatically."

Lance's eyes tore from Allura to the Other Lance, who was leaning against a pillar to the side, mid-bite in a bright yellow fruit.  _"Son? So... in this reality, Allura and I are siblings?"_  Lance's heart was beating too fast for him to concentrate much on anything and he felt dizzy.

"Yes, your majesty," Keith said, glancing over to the Other Lance as well. The Altean's brilliant blue eyes pierced Keith with a curious, cat-like gaze. Keith felt a strange jump in his chest and resisted biting his lip- it seemed that this Lance had the same effect on him too.

"Well then, what are you looking for and how can we help?"

Keith laughed nervously. "How about a giant, black robotic lion? Similar to the ones we arrived in."

Alfor nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, I saw those when you arrived. Quite interesting mechanics. I haven't heard of such a beast, but I'll send a message out to my citizens to ask for any information."

"Thank you, sir. It means the world to us."

"So, Keith and Lance of another reality, please tell me your story and that of this Lion you speak of."

...

"Will you be alright?" Keith asked Lance quietly. Lance nodded weakly, looking over Keith's shoulder to Allura, who was waiting for him patiently.

Alfor and Melenor (Allura's mother) had to leave for a meeting with a few other-worldly ambassadors, so they left Keith and Lance in the hands of their children. Of course, Allura had offered to show Lance around, unaware of his backstory with his own Allura.

Keith squeezed Lance's shoulder reassuringly. "Okay. We meet back here in an hour?" Lance nodded again. Keith forced a smile as Lance turned away from him and walked to Allura. Her smile was as radiant as the setting sun.

Keith sighed, wringing his hands as Lance and Allura walked away. Prince Lance appeared next to Keith silently like the Cheshire cat. HIs lips even held a small, sly grin.

"You really care about him, don't you?" the Prince nearly purred. Keith looked at the Altean in surprise.

"Sorry?"

"It's obvious." Prince Lance's eyes practically glowed, framed by long, dark eyelashes that kissed his cheeks when he blinked. His tanned skin contrasted prettily against his white hair and Keith felt his cheeks heat up a little.

"Is it really?" he breathed.

The Prince paused, then took Keith's hand, leading him back towards the Castle.

"Where are we going?" Keith protested lightly, but that damn grin cast over the Prince's shoulder shut him up immediately.

Soon enough, Lance had led Keith through a bit of the Castle and up several flights of stairs, seemingly inexhaustible as he continued to climb without falter.

Just as Keith thought he'd fall over from exhaustion, Prince Lance slowed to a stop. Looking up, Keith noticed that they'd reached the top of the staircase but, instead of a room waiting for them, it was just the ceiling with a small trapdoor cut in the center.

Prince Lance continued with his playful smile before throwing open the door and launching himself through the opening. Although not as graceful, Keith followed. It was then that he realized why they'd had to climb so many damn stairs- the two were standing on the roof of the Castle, looking over Altean dusk. The sunset had sunken to a brilliant shade of lilac, magenta, and scarlet, stars slowly beginning to trickle through on the opposite horizon.

The Prince sighed, closing his eyes. He held out his arms, palms up, and a small, dreamy smile fell over his lips, different from the curious grin he normally adopted. Keith inhaled deeply, opening his chest up to the sky. It was silent, save for the breeze in his ears and the soft rumble of jet engines in the far distance.

Once again, Prince Lance took Keith's hand and led him over to a small divot in the roof that was wide enough for a few people to sit. Keith eased down beside the Prince and let the calming scent of fresh air wash over his senses.

"Tell me everything," the Prince said quietly.

Keith raised his eyebrows. "About what?"

The Prince rolled his eyes. "How long have you liked him?"

"I don't-"

"Don't try to lie to me, Earthling. I can tell." He tapped the side of his head, his mischevious eyes catching the light of the setting sun and shimmering prettily. "He and I are the same, after all."

Keith laughed breathlessly. "You're not oblivious like him," he said, thinking about the countless hints he'd dropped in front of Lance about his feelings.

The Prince tilted his head to the side. "Have you ever thought that maybe he is not oblivious? Maybe he is just not ready to face his own feelings?"

"Lance having feelings for  _me_? No way on Earth. His heart beats for Allura alone."

The Prince looked stunned. "Allura?"

"In our reality, you two aren't siblings. She was an Altean and Lance is an Earthling. He's been in love with her since they met and she loved him too. Or, at least, before she sacrificed herself for the sake of the universe." He felt sick dumbing it down so much- there was so much left unspoken, so much that happened that the Prince wouldn't understand.

"I see," the Prince mused, looking out over Altea. "And he is still grieving?"

"To put it lightly," Keith laughed weakly. "I don't know what to do. He doesn't talk about these things with me. Or any of us, for that matter. He just holes it all up inside himself and pretends like he's okay."

The Prince frowned. "It is not his fault. I do the same thing- it hurts to talk about things that weigh so heavily on one's soul."

Keith looked at the Prince with a desperate expression. "I'm terrified that he'll never heal. He needs to let it out."

"Have you told him that?" the Prince replied bluntly.

"No, but-"

"The best thing you can do for him is to make him talk about it. HIs skin cannot grow over this like scar tissue, believe me, I know. You need to make him come to terms with what happened and help him to heal properly. He is alone. Even I can see that, even with you standing next to him. He is alone- he feels like he has nobody."

Keith sat, a little stunned. "How do you know?"

Lance sighed. "I've been there. I know that kind of pain."

"Who helped you?"

"You."

Keith raised his eyebrows.

"Well,  _my_ you. My Keith was assigned as my personal guard a few years back. A summer love of mine had died on a mission and I'd gone into a state of depression, a state that I myself thought I'd never recover from. But then Keith found me and he made me talk about everything, anything, making me get out of bed and try to find enjoyment in things again. It took a long time and it hurt more than you can imagine, but it worked. And now, here I am. And I'm with a man who knows every corner of my soul and every quirk of my mind. And I am allowed happiness again."

Keith looked down at his palms. "All I want is for him to be happy."

"The beauty of infinite realities is the trust that, if something one desires is not present in this reality, then it is somewhere else, but it is never not there at all. You just have to find it."

The Prince turned to Keith and softly kissed his cheek, smiling that perfect smile that Keith knew so well as he pulled back. "I trust you will find it."


	12. promise me

Allura and Lance strolled through the royal gardens slowly, talking about nothing. He couldn't stop looking at her, drinking her in, reclaiming the memories he'd poured over for so long he'd lost the ability to distinguish between reality and his own imagination.

Things returned to him slowly and all at once- the way she walked, the lines of her jaw, the texture of her hair... He didn't know how to feel except that it was too much. He felt high. He felt drunk. He felt like he was dreaming.

He'd spent  _so long_ ,  _too long_  remembering the way her hand fit in his, the way her breath caressed his cheek when she whispered in his ear, her strong determination and confidence that left him speechless. Allura had turned into an unhealthy obsession and he couldn't let her go. Not after this long. Not after sleepless nights leading to endless days, the only thing on his blank-slate mind being her blue, blue, blue eyes.

Everything Lance did, everything he knew, it was all in the After. He didn't know how to get out. 

Lance looked over at Allura and found her looking back at him expectantly. "Huh?" Lance asked, startled and embarrassed that he'd zoned out.

Allura laughed softly. "I asked if you wanted to go sit somewhere."

"Oh, um, yeah." Allura took the lead. The Altean flowers were even more stunning at night. Their bioluminescent petals glowed softly in the setting sun, casting ghostly hues of pink and blue over Lance's ankles.

The Royal Gardens was more of a maze than a garden, with waist-high walls that twisted and turned until they reached the center, which was a beautiful fountain. Lance had seen the fountain from the balcony where he and Keith had eaten with the royal family, but it was even more stunning up close.

The fountain was a huge pool of crystal clear water, in the center a raised pedestal that held a strikingly beautiful Altean warrior on the back of a rearing animal. The creature looked like a mix between a stag and a horse, but it also had a sweeping fishtail in place of its hind legs. The warrior who rode it was holding a bow and arrow, but the arrowhead was a blooming flower.

Surrounding the two were waves made of glass that looked like they were at their zenith as if they could crash down and shatter at any moment. The cherry on top was the actual water of the fountain, which curved and splashed around the centerpiece, casting elegant reflections and refractions of light along the flat stones of the walkway and the walls of the maze.

Allura sat down on the lip of the fountain and patted the spot behind her, an invitation for Lance. He sat hesitantly, his knee bouncing with anxiety.

"I can't help but notice..." Allura started slowly, "that something is wrong."

Lance didn't say anything.

"And I want to know if it's something I've done."

Lance recoiled as if he'd been slapped. "Something  _you've_  done? Why would you think that?"

Allura shrugged, a very un-Allura-like gesture. "I would have thought that you and my brother would have been similar in aspects other than appearance. But you've been jump and anxious and sad and all sorts of emotions since you've arrived. And I want to know if it's something I've done."

Lance looked down at his shoes. He inhaled deeply, smelling the alluring fragrance of the flowers of the Royal Gardens. And he began.

"It's something you've done, but not  _you_ you.  _My_ you. The Allura from my reality. You... She... Well, back in my reality, you and I aren't siblings. And I'm not Altean."

Allura frowned and reached up to Lance's face. Her fingertips skimmed his cheeks and she frowned. Lance felt his breath get stuck in his throat. "What are you talking about? You certainly  _look_  Altean."

Lance lifted his own hand to his cheek and pressed Allura's hand against the markings. He closed his eyes. "You gave me these. She did, I mean. I'm from Earth. My Allura was from Altea, like you. Keith and I explained the baseline of the story to you and your family but-"

He felt the familiar prick of tears behind his closed eyes and shut them tighter. "I know this is weird to hear because I'm supposed to be your brother, but I loved my Allura as something more than a friend. For so long, I tried to show her. When she finally realized, we only had a few months left together. I loved her as long as I could, I did anything to keep her smiling. I would give my life for her. But she made that decision for me."

Lance's tears escaped his eyelids and rolled down his face. A shuddering sob wracked through his body, but he couldn't stop. "To save the universe, she sacrificed herself. She died. She left."

Lance opened his eyes and sobbed, "Allura, you left me."

All at once, he was being pulled forward. All at once, her soft hair was against his cheek and her shoulder was at his chin and her arms were around him, holding him tightly. She smelled like juniberries. Her voice was soft and beautiful against his hair.

"I never left you. I'm always with you.  _Always."_

Allura let Lance cry into her shoulder until his eyes had dried and his shaking body had calmed. Even after that, she stroked his hair and told him he was safe.

Lance eventually and reluctantly pulled back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm sorry," he said meekly, his throat raw from crying.

"No need to apologize," Allura said softly. Her knowing eyes did not leave him. "But I need to tell you something."

Lance sniffed and nodded.

Allura let out a long, deep breath and took Lance's hands in hers. "Lance, I am always here. I am always looking over you and I am always with you, guiding you, making sure you're okay. But..." She paused, searching for the right words. "You need to remember yourself. You need to remember that you  _are_  someone outside of me. You need to remember that you're valid and beautiful and loved. You're your own person. You're Lance. I cannot be with you, but that doesn't mean that you must be without yourself.

"I fear that you've lost your own soul in the cycle of grieving. You went through the stages. Denial, anger, bargaining... but you're stuck on depression. You need to move on. You have to  _accept,_ Lance. You have to accept and move on. I don't want to see you hurt, alone, a shadow of yourself. I want you to be happy.

"Think about the happy memories you had with me but don't linger. Think about the hardships and the struggles and the past but don't stay there.  _Think about me but move on._ You are yourself. Return to yourself. You have a home in your heart and it's time to move back into it. Trust in yourself but lean on the people who love you. They're there for you but only if you let them know you need it."

Allura held a palm to Lance's cheek, her ocean eyes pools of hope and beauty. "Live. Live for me and live for you."

Lance felt his eyes well up again. He nodded.

"Promise me." Her voice was low and pure.

"I promise."

The night was silent save for the quiet burbles of the fountain and the rustling of leaves in the soft breeze, but Lance felt like the whole world was making noise again. It had opened.

Lance allowed himself to smile. The After was leaving him. He was moving forward.

**Author's Note:**

> everyone got hurt bc of season 8 so i wanna fix it


End file.
